Best Musical Revival

‘The Voice’ Battle Rounds Night 1: Who is your favorite so far in Season 15? [UPDATING LIVE BLOG]

Yes, blind auditions aren’t quite finished for “The Voice” in Season 15. But as they wrap up on Monday night’s two-hour episode, the bigger news is that battle rounds begin in the same show. Who is your favorite artist so far this year? Which coach do you think is doing the best job in getting the greatest singers? Make your comments below in our updating live blog as the program airs on NBC.

Six-time coaching champ Blake Shelton, three-time winner Adam Levine, reigning champion Kelly Clarkson and returning coachJennifer Hudson are facing off each week. Team advisors starting for this new round are CeeLo Green for Team Adam, Thomas Rhett for Team Kelly, Halsey for Team Jennifer and Keith Urban for Team Blake.

8:02 p.m. – The first artist on the last night of the blind auditions was 16 year old Emily Hough. Although she comes from a small town where everyone listens to country music, Emily is a folksy pop act that took on “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell. Her quirky, lullaby voice sounded good to Adam who turned his chair first, but Blake and Jennifer were also keen to get her on their teams and hit their buttons as well. Adam was the most ecstatic about Emily even before she ended up choosing to be on his team and completing his roster.

8:10 p.m. – 20 year old personal trainer Josh Davis was up next with his rendition of Sam Smith‘s “Too Good at Goodbyes,” a song he chose to represent his taste as a pop and soul artist. Because she was looking to fill her roster with another male artist, Kelly hit her button for Josh early on. Jennifer also jumped into the ring for Josh, but after a quick deliberation he stuck with Kelly and completed her team!

8:22 p.m. – With two teams already full, cabaret performer Lisa Ramey from Brooklyn was looking to get a spot on Jennifer or Blake’s team with her audition of Pink‘s “Beautiful Trauma.” Unfortunately neither of them were inspired to hit their buttons and so Lisa went home with some constructive criticism to audition with something that shows off her voice better next time.

8:31 p.m. – Next up was newlywed Katrina Cain who canceled her honeymoon to audition for the show with “Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac. As an electro pop artist, Katrina’s rendition of the classic song was an interesting twist that immediately caught the ears of both Adam and Kelly, but their teams didn’t have room on them. Eventually Blake and Jennifer came to their senses and hit their buttons at the same time, giving Katrina a choice between the two. In the end, Katrina went with Blake, leaving Jennifer as the only coach that could turn her chair for the remaining artists auditioning.

8:42 p.m. – Matt Johnson from Virginia was the first artist to vie for Jennifer’s attention with his take “Never Too Much” by Luther Vandross. The audition was the culmination of Matt’s many years trying out for the show and all the hard work paid off with Jennifer offering up her last spot to him! In accepting him to her team Jennifer said it was good to hear a contemporary artist singing a legend and she appreciates his hunger and passion for the show.

8:49 p.m. – Team Kelly had the first battle of the night between Sandyredd and Cody Ray Raymond. For their battle, Kelly and Thomas chose “Cry to Me” by Solomon Burke from the “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack. Thomas advised Sandyredd to show off some of the low parts of her voice and Kelly urged Cody Ray to not go over the top, but still manage to give enough to the song. During stage rehearsals, Kelly was already finding the two of them so moving that she had to prepare for one of her hardest decisions.

9:00 p.m. – In the battle, the chemistry between Sandyredd and Cody Ray on stage was fire. Cody Ray opened the song with a smooth vocal with his guitar while Sandyredd rounded him out with her raspy, soulful voice. For what it’s worth, Sandyredd proved herself to be the all-around performer we already knew her to be, but Cody Ray really stepped it up against one of the strongest artists of the season. In their critiques, the other coaches were already promising to use their steals on the artist that Kelly did not choose.

9:08 p.m. – Ultimately, Kelly decided to stick with Cody Ray, leaving the artist she said has one of the best voices she’s ever heard up for grabs. In quick succession, all three coaches hit their steal buttons for Sandyredd! Adam made a great pitch for her, reminding her that he hit his button first in the blinds and first for the steal claiming that he’s had no hesitation for wanting her on his team. Blake said he can provide her the option to add a little country into her voice and Jennifer told her she’s already a star and she can help her grow that. In the end it was up to Sandyredd which team she’d join and she went with her hometown girl Jennifer!

9:18 p.m. – Joined by Keith, Blake met with his first battle of the season between Michael Lee and Joey Green, two artists that had known each other previously in the Texas music scene. For this pairing, Blake chose the song Bonnie Raitt‘s “Thing Called Love” because it’s both bluesy and rock. Keith’s advice for the guys was that Michael needed to bring his nervous edge down a bit and Joey had to play it less cool and let the audience think he’s working for it.

9:27 p.m. – In the battle, both guys came to the stage with their guitars, delivering a similar sense of cool for the audience to soak up. Michael’s vocal was a bit more country and soulful than Joey’s, who sounded like a classic rock vocalist. Jennifer thought Michael’s voice filled the room and she felt more presence from him on stage so she gave the edge to him, but everyone on the panel agreed that Joey has incredible range. With the decision in Blake’s hands he reiterated what Keith noticed as Michael’s intensity and Joey’s laid-backness before choosing to retain Michael.

9:39 p.m. – The third and final battle of the night came from Team Jennifer between her two soulful male vocalists Colton Smith and Patrique Fortson. With Halsey advising, the guys were given Blake Shelton‘s “God Gave Me You,” a shocking decision that forced them to perform outside of their comfort zone. The plan for the song was to strip it down and remove the country influences so that their soul vocals could take center stage.

9:51 p.m. – In the battle, both Colton and Patrique displayed their stage presence, feeding off of the passionate energy of one another. Patrique’s vocal was in a very high range with some impressive runs while Colton stayed in his lower register, balancing Patrique out nicely. In her critique, Kelly gave the edge to Patrique, but Adam really liked Colton despite noticing some nerves on his end. Faced with the decision, Jennifer went with Patrique, the artist she says knows his voice well and has more bells and whistles to work with.

9:58 p.m. – But before Colton could walk off stage, Blake hit his button and stole him for his own team! Because it was his own song, Blake recognized how well Colton performed the song and felt compelled to bring him over to Team Blake.

10:00 p.m. – With four more blind audition picks, three battle winners and two stolen artists, which was your favorite performance of the night? Do you think tonight’s episode showcased this season’s eventual winner? Sound off in the comments!

We will start offering a predictions event for “The Voice” when live shows begin in a few weeks. In the meantime, be sure to make your predictions for other reality programs such as “Survivor” and “Dancing with the Stars.” You can keep changing your picks until each episode begins. You’ll compete to win a spot on our leaderboard and eternal bragging rights. You can also predict nominations for Oscars, Golden Globes, SAG Awards, Grammys and more. See our contest rules and sound off with other fans in our reality TV forum. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.